A little annoyed at Lund

[jbmaine]

Hi All,

As some of you might know from one of my previous posts, We are looking at the possibility of getting a new Lund Fury XL. I have been talking to a couple of dealers on pricing, options, etc. In both cases the dealers asked me if we wanted a horn @ $ 51. I said that per the Lund web site a horn is listed as a standard feature ( it is ). In both cases the dealers said that per their paper work it is an option.

 

So I called Lund and talked to a gentleman there.

 

At first he said it was an option, I told him to look at the web site, he did and then said he didn't know, he would have to call me back.

 

He called me back and told me the web site was wrong, it was indeed an option. They would change their web site.

 

I asked him that since I found this, couldn't I get a horn for no charge. He said no.

 

I know this is small thing in the overall big picture, but this really bugged me. I mean the console comes with a horn button, why have a horn button and no horn.

 

I thought about this for a while and did some more research then called Lund back and got the same gentleman.

 

I said that per the Lund web site it says " when it comes to safety just good enough never is". I asked him if that was correct, he said of course. 

 

I asked him if the foam flotation they put in their boats met Coast Guard requirements , He said it exceeds that. 

 

I then asked him, Per Coast Guard regulations. any vessel 16 ft. or larger must have a sound producing device, AKA horn, so it seems Lund is making boats that don't meet these regulations. I said, shouldn't a horn be standard equipment for safety reasons, to meet Coast Guard regs.  

 

He told me I could get a horn, I just have to buy it.

 

At this point I could see this was going to be a pointless conversation so I thanked him for his time, said good by and hung up.

 

I know I need a fire extinguisher, PFD's etc. and I don't mind buying them, but for some reason the horn thing really ticked me off.

 

As a foot note I ran this by both dealers I have been talking to. One offered me a free horn, the other did not. If everything else comes out about = guess which dealer I'll do business with. ( P.S., it's been several days and Lund still hasn't changed their web site.)

 

So thanks for letting me get this off my chest, rant over.

                                                  thanks for listening

                                                                     Jim 

[Dwight Hottle]

Shame on Lund. I don't blame you for being peeved.

[Team9nine]

That was pretty much my experience when I was "new boat" shopping a couple years back. Really wanted a Lund Fury XL as my first choice, but they absolutely would not budge even a little on price, options or add-ons...so I bought a brand new Alumacraft  

[slonezp]

sent you a PM

[Scott F]

Not that this will help your frustration, but if you get stopped for a safety inspection, the officer will want you to have a non electric horn or whistle. If you have a power failure, your electric horn will be useless. 

A friend of mine just bought a new Lund and ordered a color that was shown on the boat on the cover of the brochure. Weeks later, he found out that that color was not available on his boat. It looks like Lund's marketing department needs to get together with sales and get on the same page.

Is a spare tire for the trailer a standard feature or is it an option? 

Be sure to get everything you want on your boat in writing so there is no question when the boat arrives. When my friend's wish list and his budget did not agree, the dealer removed options to get the price to where it needed to be but did not inform my friend of the deletions. He was surprised and disappointed when he did not get what he was expecting. His fault entirely, but he could have avoided problems by being careful while ordering.

[MickD]

I don't often do it, but when I get really ticked off, as you are, I ask for the representative's supervisor.  If they refuse, which has not happened to me, I plan to write a snail mail letter to the person at the top of the org chart.  I cannot imagine someone with real authority not simply giving you the horn.  So much to lose for $50.

 

I had a cable routing issue on my new Lund, routing so bad it was ridiculous, IMHO.  The dealer said they were all that way, but I didn't find anything like it on the images on their brochures.  And my buddies identical boat was much different.  I contacted Lund customer support and he called the dealer and asked them to contact me immediately for a fix.  They did and the tech came up with a routing that solved the problem, no cable changes or tearing up the boat.  I have been very  surprised that neither Lund nor the dealer has called to see if the change was satisfactory.  There was a chance it would increase efforts unacceptably.  I would think the dealer would want to know if they should be routing all the boats the new way.   But nothing.  This is the same dealer that told me I had no need to know how deep the water is if going faster than trolling speed.  Pretty sloppy by both.  I do love my Lund, though.

[NHBull]

No doubt this is bad business all around.  That said, a letter to the top goes a long way and if not, you will feel better.  But.....don't let this sour the experience any more than it has already.  I too am going to buy a Lund this Winter and this is all useful info....Thanks for sharing 

[gim]

Interesting notation on the fact that a boat that's 16 feet or longer does not come standard with a horn and is there fore deemed illegal per US Coast Guard regulations.

[Gundog]

1 hour ago, gimruis said:

Interesting notation on the fact that a boat that's 16 feet or longer does not come standard with a horn and is there fore deemed illegal per US Coast Guard regulations.

Not sure the boat is illegal but you must carry some type of audible signal device such as a airhorn or whistle that is in proper working order. 

[A-Jay]

Interesting thread ~ 

My Lund experience to this point, has been quite the opposite of the OP as there's been nothing remotely resembling frustration.   The  Lund dealer I have dealt with (Maple Bay Marine in Brutus, MI)  gets Huge Props from me. 

True Professionals in every sense of the word.  Both the Sales & Service dept. displayed a real commitment to working with me on getting my rig as close to right the first time as possible.  With the Pro V Bass being in a totally new model, there were many unknowns to both this buyer & the seller alike.   A few items needed adjustment to meet my needs.  So alterations & changes were made as well as some fitment modifications & in house fabrication.  These guys were all over it.  So this project came & went together seamlessly.  Clearly there was compensation made were required but I do feel like I got quality workmanship which always comes at a price. 

I couldn’t be happier.   

YMMV

A-Jay

 

[Further North]

What's odd to me is in today's world of social media (like Bass Resource) and instant communication of even minor levels of dissatisfaction and customer complaints going straight to Lund's target audience...if that they didn't just comp the horn as a "thank you" for spotting and reporting the issue.  They've got much less than $51 in that horn and the goodwill a gesture like that (just as likely to wind up on social media) is worth the cost many times over.

 

...instead there are now people who will read this...possibly for years...who might open the door to other brands even though they were initially set on a Lund...

 

Bad call by whomever made it, IMO.

[S Hovanec]

Website says it's standard on the 2017.  Are you wanting a 2018?  Maybe it's no longer standard equipment on the new model year?

[MickD]

It looks to me that all recreational boats must have "an efficient sound producing device."  Not necessarily the Lund horn we are discussing.  The Lund horn would comply, but is not mandated by USCG.  A whistle or bell will suffice.  I see Lund as not having to include the horn to comply, just as they don't have to provide nav lights to comply.  The owner is responsible for items like this.  Make sense?

 

I think this brings the issue back to the marketing issue of whether the horn is standard or optional.

 

U.S. COAST GUARD MINIMUM REQUIREMENTS FOR RECREATIONAL BOATS

Bell, Whistle

Every vessel less than 65.6 ft. (20 meters) in length must carry an efficient sound producing device.

On Federally controlled waters, every vessel 65.6 ft. (20 meters) or larger in length must carry a whistle and a bell. They must be audible for 1 nautical mile.

[J Francho]

I always have a whistle and an air horn in my safety kit.  Actual boat horns are probably the fist thing to fail on almost every boat I've owned.  I'd rather it be an option, and delete it from the build.

[Scott F]

31 minutes ago, J Francho said:

I always have a whistle and an air horn in my safety kit.  Actual boat horns are probably the fist thing to fail on almost every boat I've owned.  I'd rather it be an option, and delete it from the build.

My Ranger will be 30 years old next spring and the horn (which came standard) still works. I think the only time I have ever used it was to wake up snoozing boat partners!

[J Francho]

22 minutes ago, Scott F said:

I think the only time I have ever used it was to wake up snoozing boat partners

LMAO, nice! Another good one is to put the back graph in demo mode, then wake them up. 

 

I think the horn in the Bullet works as original, too.  That's a '95. 

[S Hovanec]

I doubt the horn on my Lund would comply with the 1 nautical mile requirement.  It's not really all that loud.  I have a whistle on the key ring to satisfy the regulations.

[Dwight Hottle]

42 minutes ago, S Hovanec said:

I doubt the horn on my Lund would comply with the 1 nautical mile requirement.  It's not really all that loud.  I have a whistle on the key ring to satisfy the regulations.

It doesn't have to since its under 65.6 feet, lol. Besides who would want to be burdened with a 65 footer as a fishing boat. 

[S Hovanec]

1 minute ago, Dwight Hottle said:

It doesn't have to since its under 65.6 feet, lol. Besides who would want to be burdened with a 65 footer as a fishing boat. 

Guess I better brush up on my reading comprehension!

[jbmaine]

hi all-- here's an update.

I talked to a customer service manager at Lund today.

I explained  that I thought a horn should be included as standard equipment as per the web site, and we had a good conversation. It turns out that a horn has never been standard on the Fury's or Rebel's, and in all this time the web site was wrong, and I was the first person to ever bring it to their attention. At that point we had a good laugh and he said he would be happy to install a horn no charge.

 I know I've been a bit anal about this (call me a stubborn Yankee ) but this meant something to me.

                                     Thanks for listening

                                                           Jim

 

[tander]

Glad everything worked out. If this meant something to you then it was worth checking into. Hope you enjoy your boat.

[3dees]

can't understand Lund's thinking on this one. a horn is standard on just about every boat. not like it's a high priced item. my boat came with a horn and if I put my ear really close, I can actually hear it.

[slonezp]

37 minutes ago, 3dees said:

can't understand Lund's thinking on this one. a horn is standard on just about every boat. not like it's a high priced item. my boat came with a horn and if I put my ear really close, I can actually hear it.

Not defending Lund but theres more to a horn then just slapping one in.  The horn, the hole in the bow, the fascia that covers the hole, the switch, the wiring and the labor.

[tander]

20 hours ago, slonezp said:

Not defending Lund but theres more to a horn then just slapping one in.  The horn, the hole in the bow, the fascia that covers the hole, the switch, the wiring and the labor.

Maybe everything was there except the horn itself. OP said it would cost $51 extra to get a horn, does seem kinda expensive for just a horn.

[J Francho]

"Kinda expensive" is the norm for boat parts and accessories.